MEET COACH PETE

Team sports are much more than just games. It is a time in a young person’s life when they develop the character of the person they will become. Coaches play a major part in most of their students’ lives. They guide them and instruct them on the principals of the game, but more importantly they instruct them in life. Today, more than ever, it is important that young people learn the values needed to succeed in life. With our world becoming more competitive each day, our youth have to be prepared to meet the challenges of the future.

–Peter J. Mulry

Peter J. Mulry was born to a Irish Catholic family in Jersey City, NJ and attended St. Mary’s High School in Rutherford, NJ. In 1967 he was a member of the first four-year graduating class at Saint Leo University in Saint Leo , Florida and was hired to coach baseball by Tampa Catholic Athletic Director, Tom Murray, right out of college. Tampa Catholic’s rise to national acclaim began with Coach Mulry and his 1968 team. Together they excited a school and a town – first with thrilling rivalry games – and then with a run to the state championship. During his tenure he took his teams to 6 final four tournaments and won a National Championship 4 State Championships. He accumulated a high school record of 329-39. He was named Coach of the Year in 1968, 1971, 1973, 1976 and nominated to be National Coach of the Year in 1976. He was the head baseball coach at the University of Tampa from 1978-1983. He has been inducted into the Hall of Fame at St. Mary’s High School, St. Leo University, Tampa Catholic High School. and the Tampa Bay Sports Club

After retiring from coaching in 1983, Peter J. embarked on a successful second career as a realtor in Pensacola, FL where he prospered until his retirement in 2010.

In 2011 Mulry authored a book, “Conversations in the Seventh Inning of My Life,” in which he interviewed 30 of his former players about the life skills they learned while competing for the iconic high-school baseball program. These interviews offered insight on how all these people achieved so much success; both in high school and in life, developing the common thread that served as the inspiration for starting the foundation. Together with some of his former players and colleagues, Coach Mulry has organized the Peter J. Mulry Foundation, Inc. to provide life skills training to deserving young people in the Tampa Bay area.